Subjective and objective inebriation: a “Speed Dating” field study with placebo alcohol

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of the current field study was to investigate the relationships between personality traits and placebo responsiveness, and the effects of alcohol and placebo alcohol on the changes of the subjective state and behavior among participants (N = 64, gender ratio 50% men: 50% women, mean age = 26.64). We suggest that expectations associated with alcohol consumption itself can lead to subjective and objective inebriation, and some individuals respond better to placebo than others, so placebo reactivity is associated with certain personality traits. Method In the present field study, the effect of placebo alcohol is measured in a typical alcohol consumption social setting, and the study seeks to explore relationships among certain personality traits (sociability and extraversion, spirituality and religiosity and dispositional optimism) and placebo responsiveness, furthermore the effects of alcohol and placebo alcohol on subjective and objective intoxication. Results In this study, the expectation induced classical placebo effect in the field was successfully demonstrated, while no support for a relationship between personal traits and placebo responsiveness was found. Conclusion Based on the results, a desirable goal is to reframe the inebriated state that is often considered “desirable” by young people by raising awareness of the placebo effect.